Hi there, remember me?

April 24, 2013

Hi guys. If there’s anyone out there still following this blog you may be surprised to suddenly see me posting! It has been about 9 months since I last posted here.

Well to be I’ll be straight with you (and if you don’t already know me in real life I hope this doesn’t catch you too much off guard). My dad was not well for most of 2012. He had been fighting a rare cancer since 2009 and things took a very sharp downward turn in late April last year. From midsummer on we were very busy helping my mom care for my dad, attending to visiting family, and trying to work. And then in October we lost my dad. Everything after that is just sort of a blur.

So things were pretty crazy here, kind of upside down. From late summer until the beginning of this year I hardly did any gardening. That was stressful, time in the garden was my main relaxation even when working hard on it. First I was too busy with dad and family and then I felt guilty for deserting it. I’m getting back on track with it but slowly. We spent a lot of time fixing things inside the house to make it easier to take care of my dad, and now we’ve tried to put most of it back the way it was. I skipped a lot of bike rides and music too.

Even with the sad things happening in 2012 one of the best things also happened.

I used to draw. I mean I used to draw A LOT. Then not long after my dad received his diagnosis I just sort of stopped. Part of it was time – working two jobs, researching info for my dad, going to appointments, growing things (but growing things helped keep me sane). But more of it was motivation, I just didn’t feel like it. I hardly drew anything for around 2 years and I hated myself a bit for it to the point that I literally cringed when anyone used the word ‘artist’ to describe me.

But I didn’t lose interest in art. I still went to museums and exhibitions when I could, and following the work of artists I admire. Then through one of those artists I found something that sparked my will to art (yes art is a verb now, don’t fight it). It may sound very odd but what did it is a new show at Disney’s California Adventure called the Mad T Party. To sum it up it’s Alice in Wonderland characters (themed after the Tim Burton movie in heavily 80s inspired costumes) covering classic & 80s rock and contemporary pop songs. They also have DJs and a dance crew performing between bands sets. Odd yes? But a crazy good time. How did I get into it? Brianna Garcia (amazing artist I have followed for years) started posting videos from the show on her blog, and then she started drawing the characters.

And I was hooked.

I was suddenly drawing again. Characters from the show and the movie. Ridiculous things (I’m not joking half of it is just inside joke stuff). And connecting with other fans doing similar things, I was sharing art. I started sketching things around me again. I made some really good friends, and even met my art hero. I stopped getting angry when people called me an artist. When I was ready to go out again after dad was gone I started going to the show and hanging out with people again. I’m still mostly drawing things from this fandom, but I’ve also taken back up with drawing scenery around me. There’s a big portrait commission coming up, and many more things I want to do. Because of that one thing I want to do artistic things again. The biggest thing though is I met people who really helped get me through a bad time and back to my art.

Alright. So now you know where I’ve been. I’m sorry I just disappeared with no explanation. It was something I didn’t want to talk about with anyone I don’t know.

I really believe that in life you find things when you need them. I found inspiration that got me through a hard time and back to myself just when I needed it. If you’re still with me I have one favor to ask. One of the people who has helped make that show what it is, and so helped me, has a dream. He and his bandmate are working their asses off and are in the homestretch of a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds they need to publish their graphic novel & album both called Mind of Mirrors. Please just check out their Kickstarter and watch their video explaining the project. It’s under 3 minutes of your time. They have just 10 days left to make their goal.

If you like what you see and hear of it take a look at the backer rewards, they are offering some pretty sweet deals. But more importantly it’s funding music, art, storytelling and someone’s dream. That’s pretty a big thing. and if you want to pledge your contribution is not charged until May 4th so you don’t even have to wait for payday 😀

Thank you guys for reading my rambling here. If you’re still with me after all this time it means a lot. I’m working on getting myself better organized so I can share some of the things I’ve been making the last few months, even art! Soon 🙂